Crimson Triangle
by Dr. Rondart
Summary: [Semi AU][PostMeteor] Reno has been seeing Yuffie, but when Vincent joins the fray and a new power emerges in Wutai, both Reno and Vincent must put their differences aside to help Yuffie. But will they make it or will they kill each other?
1. Interests

Crimson Triangle

_Disclaimer: All the FF7 goodies here belong to their respective owners! Don't sue a poor man like me! _

Chapter One: Interests

The sky bathed in dull gray light of the dying sun; yet the building that stood in the middle of Nibelheim had an even duller color. On its better days, it was a mansion housing the executives on vacation. Now it had deteriorated to a decrepit condition; remnants of once glorious days of Shinra Inc.

One wouldn't find anything of interest inside the dull interior of the mansion; save the hidden door that leads down to the secret catacomb underneath. Describing the sensation as 'gloomy' is an understatement; it was so dark and depressing it would've been mistaken as a grave or even a vampire's lair. If it wasn't eerie enough, piles of animal bones were scattered about, greeting visitors with an unwelcome chagrin.

Interestingly, the catacomb led to an old, battered room that resembled a cross between a lab and a library. If it weren't for the test tubes and the books strewn across the floor, it would've had a more welcoming air. Nevertheless, the air was the least important matter to a tall figure standing in the hallway. The lack of light didn't seem to be a nuisance; rather, the figure felt as though it was his best friend that shut him away from the mundane and noisy world outside.

_21st September, XXXX._

He seemed intent on scanning the book he held on his hand. His Mako-enhanced eyes were giving him clear vision of the scribbles he had been reading.

_Dangerous properties of the Chaos Beast._

The unnaturally red glow of his eyes stared intently onto the words before reading along.

_The fact that the Chaos Beast had surpassed our expectations in terms of power and durability had not diminished our concern for its controllability. Granted, the prerequisites of awakening Chaos exists in virtually every Guinea Pig that we have tested; however, its virtually indestructible nature and its retained intelligence from its host is offset only by one factor, emotion. Emotion is the only factor that either greatly increases or diminishes its potential as a weapon. Specifically speaking, it requires a single, or a combination of the following negative emotions: wrath, flaw, malice, hatred, or overwhelming desire of inflicting pain or death. However, those were proven to be a double-edged sword as apparently, the emotions were amplified within the mind of Chaos itself. In other words, the probability for it to listen to orders or reason is slim; let alone to think with logic. Supposedly, a control materia had been designed by the engineer of Chaos Project, Dr. Lucrecia Crescent; however—_

His concerned eyes trailed off for a second upon the name. He shifted uncomfortably, making his blood red cape swing slightly in the cold air.

"Lucrecia…" the figure sighed sadly.

_"Is this what you bestow me? A power and a curse at the same time?"_ he thought.

Slowly, he closed the book and returned it to its place. Without any hesitation, he strode quickly to the mansion's door. Upon opening the door, he did what most humans do after being shut in a confined space for so long; breathe deeply.

The tall shadow that stood belonged to Vincent Valentine. Dressed in his favorite trademark 'black tight overalls with fluttering blood-red cape', he was quite physically imposing to people who had never met him. His black hair that flowed around his head and his sunken red eyes gave him the appearance of a vampire.

Once an ex-Turk and ex-AVALANCHE member that saved the world, Vincent, being a loner, had resorted to live alone away from everybody. He was never comfortable with anyone he had bumped into before, even if his mannerisms showed the otherwise. True, there was Cloud who captured his attention due to his ability to lead people into action by mere words. Then there was the ever-soothing fighter Tifa, the boisterous gun-armed Barret, and the foul-mouthed pilot Cid. Not to forget the annoying Cait Sith, a mechanical doll controlled by a Shinra executive Reeve, and the wise talking lion Red XIII; better known as Nanaki.

The pale-grey sky had turned somewhat into a stained crimson color of sunset; the same beautiful setting that bore witness to the downfall of the ultimate threat to the Planet, Sephiroth.

_"Has the wrath of the Planet had subsided now?"_ he thought absently. Two years ago, the WEAPONs were unleashed by the Planet. They were its self-defense in response to Sephiroth's actions, literally destroying many cities in the continent. Had the WEAPONs were not slain by both Shinra and AVALANCHE, they would've destroyed many more lives. In the final act, the Planet had used its own power to save itself from the Meteor; thereby saving everyone in the process.

Shinra was always hostile toward AVALANCHE during the course of their relationship. That is, until Rufus Shinra had made a pact of ceasefire with AVALANCHE during the WEAPON incident. Although he never spoke of it loudly, he had seemed to take a change for the better, even for a temporary moment. Now that Rufus was found unharmed, Shinra had discontinued its practice of tyranny and Mako exploitation. Its rebirth and its growth were nevertheless also caused by AVALANCHE's (particularly Barret's) direct involvement. Although there were some bitter sentiments and slight distrust against each other here and there, generally speaking, there were not going to be a major war between them.

_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!_

The only sounds that were heard within the perimeter were sounds of birds that were coming to their nests. That is, until Vincent's PHS rang loudly. With asmooth, fluid motion, he snatched his PHS without giving it a chance to ring another tune; he couldn't afford to have another ringtone and its original tune pierced his ears every time it rang.

_"So much for a bloody means of communication._" Vincent thought wryly before opening his PHS.

"Valentine Special Ops Service." He greeted the person.

"…"

"To whom am I speaking to, sir?" he lowered his tone to a respectful, yet cautious tone.

"…"

"I see. What is the matter, sir?"

"…"

"I understand. I will be there as soon as possible, sir."

Vincent shut his PHS with a start. Being polite is his way of speech; it had granted him success in many aspects, including his current business, which, by the name of it, speaks for itself.

"Hmmm…"

He started walking towards the rebuilt Rocket Town. He was sure to find a ride there to his destination.

"The land of past glory…interesting." he muttered under his breath. The chilly winds that came from Mt. Nibel swung his cloak forward, obscuring his stature and his face. A slight smile crept up on his face as he was walking away.

As he did, his mind drifted into the last member of AVALANCHE; the only one that attracted his attention more than the others did. Evidently the youngest member, Yuffie Kisaragi was the resident childish, mischievous young girl that tagged along. To say her presence was unwelcome may attract undue anger; mischievous and impulsive as she was, she was also a proud ninja that belonged to Wutai; a nation previously conquered by Shinra. Now that it had regained its independence, it was once again a prosperous country with surprisingly good terms with its former occupant.

Ever since the relationship between Shinra and Wutai had evolved into a mutualistic sense instead of the usual hostile one, Yuffie was practically dragged back to Wutai where she had to perform her duties as the princess; much to the horror of the princess herself.

flashback...

"_I'll be back before you guys know it and you'd better keep an eye on your belongings!"_

That was her last word before her small figure was carried to the Wutai flagship by her father's closest aide Staniv.

It was quite a comic sight when you consider a little girl, shouting obscenities to her escorts, trashing, and making quite a noise as she was dragged to the ship. The sight made most members of AVALANCHE either sweatdropped with a very confused look or shrugged away.

"_That's clearly Cid's mark on her." Barret commented._

"_Hey, what the fuck? I haven't done anything you stinkin' piece of shit !" Cid snarled while holding the cigarette in his mouth_

"_He speaks for himself." Vincent thought humorously._

flashback...

The thought of that had made him smile, something he had rarely done. Now he set foot to where the caller had ordered him; the land of gods, Wutai.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some days are just boring-as-hell. Probably hell could've been more interesting; what with Satan and God-knows-what-else is inside. But a certain redheaded figure who stopped to take a piss on the side of the Wutai Highway had no idea that his vacation will be more interesting than he had expected.

"Well, back to the show again, yo."

He lazily climbed to his blue convertible and pulled his seatbelt on. The cloudy day showed threatening signs of rain. It is only by some chance that it didn't rain at all. The highway seemed strangely deserted, considering its active status. Not that Reno minded anyway; this means that he could speed as fast as his heart's content. Of course, being Reno, that means _really_ fast.

_Riiiiing!_

The person looked to his PHS with a smug, uninterested face before deciding to let the answering machine took over.

"_Yo, you've reached the greatest ass-kicking Turk ever, Reno! Now you can wonder for a lifetime why I don't answer your call; 'coz I won't tell ya! Anyway, now you can also put the phone off or leave me a message; which I will hear when I feel like it! Oh, and leave it AFTER the beep, 'kay? Bye!"_

The figure chuckled hearing his own recorded message. Somehow, it reminded him of his colleagues who worked for him; The Turks. Back on the heyday of Shinra, budgets were flowing for security and other deeds need done but need not known by the public. This is where The Turks came in. They were primarily there to scout candidates for SOLDIER, but also involved with other hush-hush things. Robbery, murder, assassination, and "practically anything that Shinra ordered to make them feel better; butt kisses and puns included." as Reno once explained to the rookie Elena; who replied with a horror-stricken face, much to Reno's delight. Now that the new Shinra had ceased 'those sort of activity' as Reeve, the vice-president said; there aren't much to be done by the Turks except as the President's personal bodyguard or project supervisor. As Reno's thought drifted to why Elena aren't making any progress about her relationship with Tseng, the Turks leader, a feminine voice called into his PHS.

"_Hey, it's me Elena. You didn't file your report about your vacation again this time. Well, knowing you, you'll probably already dead drunk in some unknown bar like last time. I don't mind about you not submitting your report, but even President Rufus himself wants to have it. So, he gave you a 56-hours time limit starting this midnight. Well, wherever you are, have fun! And—"_

The voice lowered to a whisper before continuing. The voice sounded rather secretive and desperate; Reno knew what was coming and, immediately, a smirk plastered itself on his smug face.

"—_how do you spell 'courteous' again? I need your help. I'm taking Tseng-san for dinner tomorrow night and I'm sooooo nervous practicing my lines of conversation. 'hope you hear this message fast because if you don't file your report or my date is failed, you are having some serious problems, Reno; professional AND personal-wise. Bye!"_

The redheaded Turk grinned lazily before he muttered, "If I tell you guys about my vacation plans, it's not gonna be a vacation anymore, yo." Having that said, he started his car and sped along the highway to Wutai.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There he is, shall we intercept him?"

"_You may, but don't kill him yet. Show him that Shinra aren't welcomed here."_

"Yes, sir."

And, the two black-clad bikers that had been waiting at the exit sped wildly at the passing blue car.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The radio in the car was dead, so Reno didn't get any source of amusement. But he didn't mind; his thoughts were somewhere else. His thoughts flew at the thought of visiting Wutai again. But what made him truly grin is the sure welcome he anticipated; the hyperactive ninja princess Yuffie Kisaragi herself.

Both of them had been seeing each other whenever Reno went to Wutai on vacation. The reason he had never filed his vacation report is that he didn't want his vacation to be ruined by some telephone calls from Shinra nagging him about duty. That's his principle; vacation time is for vacation, not for duty.

Just when Reno was deeply absorbed within his thoughts, the two bikes that he noticed earlier suddenly went closer behind him. Without warning, they suddenly drew circles around his path. Reno had no idea what they were doing until one of them opened fire to his car.

"What the f—!"

Reno frantically tried to maneuver his car around while reaching for his own gun. The car swerved wildly across all four lanes of the highway trying to avoid the assailants to no avail; the bikes simply continued to circle around him as if in a deadly dance. He had just straightened up when one of the bikes pulled beside him.

"Well, what do we have here?" the biker sneered.

Reno ducked just in time to avoid a swipe of what seemed to be a baton of some sort to his head. As if that wasn't enough, another biker opened fire near him. Like his friend, he pulled to Reno's right side.

"You've come across our turf, kid."

Reno had to slam his brakes to avoid the bullets that went spraying to his windshield, leaving cracks on his windshield. He had just noticed that the handgun the biker had was a Shinra model, but he forgot which one.

The chase had changed into a deadly, fast-paced game of cat-and-mouse with the two bikes closely circling Reno's car. One of them shot endless bullets through Reno's car while the other simply waited for an opening. But Reno wouldn't wait for him to be shot; he _is_ Reno of the Turks and he is not going down without a fight. He quickly returned fire to the gun-armed biker while struggling to maintain balance. The measure worked and the biker ducked to avoid the bullets, and in the process, slowed down a little, allowing Reno to leave him in the dust.

But what about the other one?

Reno had just noticed that he was going faster than he thought he was when the other biker pulled close to him. Desperately, Reno tried to shoot him when the biker swung his baton, knocking Reno's gun away. With a malicious grin, the biker pointed forward.

What Reno saw before him made him felt time had stopped for a second.

Somehow, the other biker had managed to get in front of him. He pointed his gun hand using a braking trick that spun the bike to its left side leaving a black trail and an acrid smell of burnt rubber.

All the biker needed to do was to pull the trigger of the gun.

Reno didn't feel his right arm anymore; instead, crimson colored liquid flowed from his arm as the bullet shattered the windshield and lodged itself deep within Reno's arm. Desperately, Reno tried to ram the assailant ahead. But the bike swerved smoothly to the side, avoiding the attack. Reno had just prepared to charge his Electro Rod when the two assailants suddenly doubled back and sped off. Unable to contain the pain any longer, he stopped at the side of the road, clutching his bleeding arm.

"Who the hell?"

_Okay, first chappie done, hurrah! R&R Plz._


	2. Crossroads

Crimson Triangle

_Disclaimer: All the FF7 goodies here belong to their respective owners! Don't sue a poor man like me! _

"_(…)" indicated thought._

"…" _speech._

Chapter Two: Crossroads

_Beep!_

"_Reno, it's Tseng. I daresay you have received the message from Elena. Well, things have changed. President Rufus are in his…less than favorable mood, so I would like you to submit your report in 48 hours starting from 00.00 hours last midnight. Drunkenness is not tolerated as an excuse. And, by the way…Elena asked me for dinner. I have to talk to you about it, but not now. Call me back ASAP."_

"Just go to the damn dinner, get a hotel room for you two and start humping, yo." Reno groaned in agony. Even though the highway had ended, Wutai was still quite a distance away. The piercing pain the bullet caused kept disturbing Reno's concentration. Despite his attempts casting cure spells from his materia, somehow the pain kept coming back. What's worse, his favorite Turk uniform is holed by the bullet; an unusual occurrence since the uniform are specially tailored to withstand heavy damage. He figured that it must be a special type of bullet to do such thing.

"I guess the laundry bills are gonna be really high this time" Reno thought wryly. He really hates it when Tseng started to rant about his supposed absolute neatness as a Turk; he didn't actually give any damn about all the formalities that he had to endure. Well, that actually goes along the line that Reno just got an "attitude problem the size of Midgar" as Tseng and Rufus had said it on an occasion, but even that cannot fully explain his 'unique' behavior. It was as if he was born to be that way. Then again, he was quite an excellent Turk himself, so nobody can actually complain; at least that's what Reno thought anyway.

Then he found the sight for his eyes, Wutai. He grinned eagerly as he entered the city borders.

The sunbathed sky in Wutai had always been beautiful; it was one of the reasons why Shinra developed the region in the first place. The same scenery greeted Reno through the Asian-style buildings that stood in the now-developed city.

Wutai was a land deeply absorbed in tradition. Even when development means to release the old tradition and to embrace a new philosophy, Wutaians were an exception. They were so rooted to their ideology that they simply couldn't discard it. Instead, they integrated the foreign elements to their own culture and the result were a harmonious clash between tradition and technology. Now Wutai stood proud as the world's trade and industry central seconded only by the resurrected Midgar.

The friendly atmosphere that greeted Reno on his way is a blissful remnant of Wutai's previous reign as a tourist's object. However, Reno liked Wutai only because of _"Two B's, Beer and Babes."_ as he said to a shrugging Rude. One feature, was the presence of a seemingly out-of-place vending machine amidst the traditional oriental-styled building; something Reno had noted gleefully for it means easy access to booze.

Reno parked his car just outside the Kisaragi Mansion compound. He noticed that the compound didn't look at all different from his last visit to Wutai; it is still lacking a proper car parking area. But then again, not that many people would actually go to the residence of the most powerful man in Wutai, now would they?

Still clutching his wound from the struggle earlier he stepped into the rear gate of the pagoda, readying his Electro-Rod on his hand; he somehow knew what was going to happen. He pushed the door open with a jolt and swung his rod instinctively.

_Clang!_

The sound of a blade was heard as it collided with Reno's EMR as he stared the ninja in front of him. Reno's prediction was right.

"Gorky, it's me, yo."

The bulky ninja's eyes suddenly brightened with joy as he lowered his weapon to greet the visitor.

"Greetings, sir Reno." He bowed.

"'Told ya not to call me that." He replied smugly.

"But sir, since you are our guest…"

Reno sighed; it's not the customs of Wutaians that he doesn't like, it is just that he feels unworthy to be honored in such a way. Not since he is a Turk and a killer at that, he thought with a pang.

He glanced at the neat, warm pagoda. The place where he stood was shaded from the bright light of the centerfold of the large building. Being a pagoda, there was nothing in the center of the room save for a spiraling staircase that lead to various rooms of different floors. The tiles were covered by a grand, red-colored Wutaian-style rug. The staircases too are covered with the same magnificent article.

He then shifted his sight on the elderly ninja. Gorky was one of Lord Godo Kisaragi's closest aides. Rumor has it that despite his age, his combat capability exceeds that of a 3rd or maybe even 2nd class SOLDIER. He still stood straight and proud and had never showed any signs of losing his touch or manners despite his age. At least that was what Reno heard from Yuffie anyway.

Gorky walked closer to the center of the room in which Reno followed. Then the thought suddenly struck him.

"Where's Yuffie?"

He didn't realize the petite figure snuck securely on the pillar just above and behind him. But his reflexes were quick; he noticed Gorky's shrewd smile before turning his EMR-equipped hand behind him.

The steels collided with an echoing sound as the ninja Reno was looking for grinned broadly in midair. Reno did a smooth backward somersault from the impact with the shuriken she threw. The figure caught the shuriken that flew back to her gracefully before she landed. Upon landing, she swung the shuriken to her back, only to be interrupted by a swing of Reno's EMR, causing the shuriken to fell off the floor with a loud _clank_. The harmless rod zeroed in to her throat in a flash.

"Checkmate, kid." Reno smirked victoriously.

The grin on the cute ninja's face was immediately replaced by a pout. She clutched her fists near her face in frustration before starting.

"(Here we go again.)" Reno smirked lazily.

"Darn! I'm soooo close!"

It was a burst of energy coming from her recognizably free self. It was the self that Reno remembered perfectly well ever since she had left AVALANCHE.

"I was _this_ close—" she specified with her tiny fingers "—and just a little more I can finally claim my victory!" she added heatedly.

"The only time you'll do, is when you stop being a kid, _kid_." Reno commented flippantly. The aforementioned person stopped her stomping and glared him squarely in the eye. Reno missed this particular glare; it looked like a cross between the intimidating expression she wore during battle and a puppy-face pout she used when she begged him to do or buy something. The result was that Reno couldn't help but to suppress a chuckle or at least a smile when he saw that.

"Why don't you stop being a jerk, _Turkey_?" Yuffie said, emphasizing the last vowel.

"Whatever, _brat_." Reno replied, also stressing the last word comically.

"Turkey."

"Brat."

"Turkey."

"Brat."

"Turkey."

"Brat."

"…"

It wasn't clear for Gorky who started first; all that he saw was that suddenly both Reno and Yuffie were overcome by fits of laughter. A smile crept up the experienced ninja's face as they continued to laugh heartily.

"Long time no see, Yuff. So, what are the things that the exalted ninja princess of Wutai—" she humphed with a glare "—are currently doing right now?" said Reno, smirking amidst Yuffie's glare. She sighed resignedly and started.

"Well, mostly I'm dealing with the paperwork and doing my princess duties here. And—don't laugh!" Reno suppressed a laugh imagining Yuffie, the active girl getting bogged down by endless formal dressing, ritual duties and other stuff that, he thought accurately, was anything but Yuffie-ish.

"—and I have to look after Wutai, listening to lectures about development and some boring stuff." Yuffie finished with a weary, yet proud huff.

"You haven't changed at all. At least it's better than running around stealing someone's materia, yo." Reno smirked shamelessly.

"Hey, that's a low blow!" Yuffie squealed out, resulting in a playful punch to Reno's right arm.

Wrong move.

Suddenly Reno winced and held his wounded limb. He tried not to show his pain, but Yuffie noticed it immediately.

"Hey, Reno you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, yo. I'm just—"

But when Yuffie removed the hand that covered his right arm, she could clearly see the blood on his hand. When she glanced at Reno's right arm, she noticed that the blue suit he wore was holed and damp.

"Take off your jacket, Reno." She said tensely while trying to tear his jacket away.

"Hey, isn't this the wrong place to do some, ahem, _adult_ things?" he taunted playfully while gritting his teeth from the pain.

"Shut up." Yuffie replied shortly.

She gasped in horror when she finally opened his jacket; his white shirt he used was so drenched in blood that Yuffie thought he was out of blood already. Upon closer look, she noticed a simple tourniquet on Reno's upper right arm. However, blood continued to trickle down his shirt as though it was water.

"Oh gawd, Reno! Wha—what happened?" she asked in horror.

"Nah, just got shot with something. I dunno, I can't heal it with my materia, it kept bleeding." Reno said nonchalantly; though he realized that his vision were blurrier than before.

"Gorky, please get him to the infirmary!" At once, the loyal servant bowed slightly and approached both of them

"Aww, come on, Yuff. It's just a gunshot wound."

Reno tried to brush Yuffie's hand away, but she held him nevertheless. He didn't like the idea of being pampered by someone. He was the kind of person who likes to be left alone during times like these. He felt the annoyance creeping up his face because of this.

Or was it _embarrassment_?

"Just a gunshot wound? You're bleeding a _lot_ for crying out loud!" Yuffie replied. Her voice sounded more distressed than before.

Reno stole a glance at the worried girl beside him. These moments when he was cared for were the moments he felt vulnerable. Yet upon seeing her young, somewhat boyish face, Reno chuckled lightly.

He didn't feel anything afterwards. All he felt was a dull impact upon the floor before he passed out.

* * *

The sky in Wutai had turned a brilliant crimson glow. The sunset had always been the same regardless of the place, if one may think about it. But the addition of beautiful sceneries made sunsets in particular places seem more beautiful. 

At least that's what a crimson-cloaked figure thought to himself as he stood on the gate on the Wutai borderline.

"Wutai…I'm finally here."

Vincent took a deep sigh before continuing to his intended destination, the Kisaragi Compound.

* * *

"The bloods will meet, sir." 

"_Very well. Have you confirmed that?"_

"Yes, sir. The "terror" has entered the sanctuary."

"_Good. Both of you may return."_

"Yes, sir."

And the black-clad man shut his PHS with a satisfied smirk.

"So, Seo…whatcha gonna do now?"

The person mentioned stowed his PHS away and curled up a faint, sinister smile on his otherwise handsome, yet feminine face.

"I'm going back to base, of course. Planning takes a large amount of time to do and I'm afraid I cannot comply to whatever you're trying to ask me." He said coolly.

The other men sat dumbfounded on his bike before replying.

"Ahhh, but I wanted to have some fun before the next mission." He said, sighing.

"But Kir, when will you learn to grow out of your habit to eat ramen before missions?" The man called Seo asked back.

"It's not that…" the other men replied. "I want to eat in that new ramen stall I found the other day."

Seo sighed resignedly. His partner, Kir, was a well-built man. The only offset to his broad muscles and strong powers, was his tendency to act somehow childishly; something that he thought was miraculous given his boss's strictness.

"In any case…" Seo said, breaking the silence "…return to base after you're done and don't take too long. Got it?"

The answers were two rumbles, one from Kir's stomach followed by a rumble from his bike as he sped off toward Wutai. Seo sighed for the last time before speeding off to an opposite direction.

* * *

_"Don't misunderstand. We have no intention of joining you. But for now, we'll agree not to bother each other. That's all, yo." said Reno. _

"_Same here. We don't have any intentions to work alongside the Turks, either." Cloud retorted._

_Then the impromptu alliance took off towards Da-Chao Mountain range. All of them were caught up looking until Cloud and his party found Corneo and his hostages, Elena and Yuffie .They managed to defeat his pet monster, but they are forced to back away when the vile kidnapper threatened to kill his hostages. Things would've gone downhill if it weren't for Reno and Rude's timely intervention that allowed them to defeat Corneo for good._

"_Here goes, yo." said Reno as he gave a hand at freeing Elena. As soon as she got off, she broke off immediately at the hand of the calming Rude. Reno went to work on Yuffie, but the struggling kunoichi just won't settle. This earned Reno death glares from Cloud and Vincent, but he shrugged off and untied Yuffie smoothly._

"_Man, you're a total pain." Reno exclaimed later. He was of course addressing the whining, sulky ninja that he rescued earlier. They were talking within Wutai's most famous bar, Turtle's paradise, well away from AVALANCHE's (or the other Turks, for that matter) earshot; saving him from unnecessary glares._

"_Excuse me? You as much as a pervy as that fat old fart! How can I sit still while you're looking at my thighs!" she shouted back at Reno._

"_(Perfect, a whiny little kid whose over-conscious about that stuff.)" Reno thought dryly._

"_Look…" Reno started "…if I hadn't been there, you would've been a squashed pumpkin like that fat ass there so be grateful, kid."_

_This seemed to prick Yuffie a lot since she intensified her glare. However, instead of having the intended effect, Reno found it somehow amusing and he ended with a smirk._

"_Shut up, Turk-ey."_

_And Reno would call her brat and she would retort with a Turkey again, and the cycle goes until one of them breaks it. It was always that way ever since they met for the first time. Reno never had any problem with that and neither did she. _

_But he couldn't remember when was it when he longed to tease the life out of that childish kid again._

"Hey, Reno?"

"_Hmmmhh?"  
_

"I think he's alive."

"_(Who, me? I'm always alive, yo. What do you mean with—)"_

"You can leave us now. Thank you."

"_(Huh?)"_

Then Reno heard a faint sound of a door closing.

"Hey Turkey, wakey-wakey."

"_(Leave me, darnit.)"_

"Come on! Rise and shine!"

"_(Shaddup. I know my hair's red.)"_

"He-lllo! You hear me?"

"_(Man, get the lights off.)"_

"Oh well. Time for some desperate measure!"

"_(Desperate—?)"_

"Here goes!"

_Whap!_

Reno felt a crushing force upon his chest. It wasn't at all painful, but enough to force him out of his lazy stupor.

"Owwwhhhh…"

Reno groaned as soft lights of sunset bathed the chamber he was in. He groggily opened his eyes to examine his surroundings. It was a simple, curving semicircle chamber with red-brown décor around the walls. It had a pleasant, welcoming air inside. He squinted his eyes to look at his body. He immediately found what made him awake.

Yuffie grinned sheepishly as she lied on top of Reno's stomach. She had clearly jumped on of him just to wake him up.

"Good evening, sleepyhead." she said, smiling cheerily.

Reno continued to look around groggily as if her action didn't wake him up yet. It wasn't until a numb pain hit him in his right arm. Finally, he gave up trying to sleep again and sat up (after Yuffie had gotten off him).

"Whatappened?" he said, still a little groggy.

"You fainted in my house after bleeding heavily. You bled so much I thought you need a transfusion, but general first aid worked well." she said happily.

"Where am I?" Reno asked.

"In my room. Hey, it's better than the hospital, so be grateful." she said quickly when she saw Reno's eyes darting all over the surroundings.

Reno then relaxed his tensed body, knowing that he had nothing to worry about. Sure, he had been visiting the Kisaragis a few times, but there were quite formal; that meaning he is accompanied by his fellow Turk, or even Rufus himself. It is only several months ago that his visits were more private and less formal, and he is feeling more free that way. Little by little the people in this house started to accept him, particularly upon the knowledge of the Corneo incident.

Now, that he felt comfortable he suddenly began posing like the womanizer he has always been, reclining and smiling seductively toward the young princess.

"So, my lovely princess, how kind of you to let me in your lovely den, and to lend your cradle in my assistance no less." said Reno in his best seducing voice. He loved to play this game towards many women just to see how far their self-resistance towards him is.

"So, would it be too much just to ask you to _share_ this lovely roost together?" he finished with his best smile.

Yuffie only smiled lightly. As soon as she did so, however, she pulled her hand outward. It held an object.

Reno couldn't see it clearly, for he felt that Yuffie's smile was wicked and mischievous. When he noticed her hand moving swiftly, it was too late.

_Whap!_

He can only make it out little by little.

_Smack!_

It was…

_Splat!_

…a white…

_Slap!_

…huge…

_Splat!_

…crested…

_Slap!_

…paper fan.

_Whack!_

When the beating had subsided, Reno lied upside down on the bed with a groan.

"All right, you win."

Then he gave a weary sigh before passing out again._

* * *

_

During his last visit, the courtyard didn't used to have this much greenery. Now Vincent amazed himself at how the scenery had changed. Now rows of fresh-scented bushes line the main paved courtyard to the Kisaragi Pagoda.

Now, after Wutai's rise to power, the Kisaragi's humble home was replaced by a new pagoda in which the household still lived. The construction was quick, partly because Shinra lent a helping hand. The pagoda now is a beautiful structure overlooking the city gleaming with the golden sunset.

As Vincent entered the pagoda, he noticed the relatively quiet surrounding. However, as soon as he moved closer to the stairwell, he noticed some noises from above.

"Thanks for the care _and_ for the beating, brat."

"It's your fault for pulling such a cheesy act, Turkey!"

"Come on, you know you _loved_ it, yo!"

"Shut up!"

It sounded like a game of teases and counter-teases with both of them hurrying to walk down. Vincent couldn't properly see what caused the noise. When Reno reached the landing, however, he could see what the noise was.

The room immediately felt feverish. The glances upon the two men met and they pierced toward each other. Yuffie only stared wide-mouthed at the silent war.

"Yo, cloaked rag doll."

"…good evening, red-headed lowlife."

* * *

A/N: 

Waaah! I'm late! Holy crap. The trip to Egypt really screwed my schedule to upload. In any case, second chappie's here!

Now, all I need is a good nudge to keep me writing and that is:

Reading and Reviewing! Enjoi:-)


	3. Friction

Crimson Triangle

_Disclaimer: The similar line as above. I ain't stealin' nuthin', everything is a copyright of their respective owners, so don't sue._

"_(…)" indicated thought._

"…" _speech._

Chapter Three: Friction

"Yo, cloaked rag doll."

"…good evening, red-headed lowlife."

Yuffie can only stare wide-mouthed at the exchange of attitudes. Then the memory came back to her in a surge of wave.

_The door of the cozy tavern suddenly barged open. Instinctively, Reno drew a gun from his holster and aimed it towards the noise. However, he certainly didn't expect to see another barrel of a gun pointed to his face._

"_What are you doing here, Yuffie?"_

_It was Vincent. He had clearly overheard the conversation between Reno and her earlier. The other patrons of the bar suddenly went quiet at the sudden standoff. And, by the looks of it, neither men is going to let down._

Yuffie remembered, Reno and Vincent wasn't the best combination, even after the meteor crisis had both Shinra and AVALANCHE into a truce. And now, that they were actually facing each other there and then, she knows what she was in for.

"So, whatcha doin' here, Mr. One Man Army? Something about Wutaian national security?" said Reno with a barely concealed cynicism.

"As a matter of fact, I was here under Lord Kisaragi's request. And as you can see, it has absolutely—" he said with a specific stress on the cold word, "—nothing to do with you."

"Spiteful as usual, I see." said Reno cynically.

"Why, thank you very much. I guess it is just the way I am." He replied coldly.

"(I—I have to do something!)" Yuffie thought quickly.

"Er, how are you Vinnie?" said Yuffie, trying to ease the situation.

"Vinnie? His name is Vinnie? Vinnie Valentine?" said Reno with a quirked eyebrow.

"Shut up Reno." said Yuffie exasperatedly.

"Who, me?" Reno replied with another quirked eyebrow.

Ignoring Reno, Yuffie quickly continued, "You said Dad told you to get here?"

"Why yes, actually. Staniv called me and forwarded me a letter. It told me to go here at once which I found rather strange. Is Lord Kisaragi present at the moment?"

Yuffie fidgeted at those words. She seemed like a child asked about her test on school when she actually scored a bad mark. Her eyes shifted to the floor tentatively before answering.

"Erm, Vince, actually—"

"Princess Kisaragi, he is here."

All three of them shifted their attention to the maid. Yuffie huffed heavily at the news before replying.

"Very well, send him in."

At once, the maid left the room. The men changed their attention back to Yuffie who fidgeted even more in her place.

"Yuffie, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, what's with this guy, yo?"

Reno and Vincent stared with contempt at each other; it wasn't usual for them to think on the same thing although it is predictable in this situation. The only thing is, they don't even like, or believe in coincidences. However, before Yuffie can properly reply, the maid reentered with a man behind her. The man gave a polite bow and smiled charmingly at Yuffie.

"Good evening, Seishirou." said Yuffie rather stiffly.

The man was seemed to be in his late twenties. He was young, but he looked mature for his age. He wore a neat, pleated oriental dress that contrasted greatly with Yuffie's combination of T-shirt, vest and beige shorts that she usually wore. His stature was quite ordinary; however, his most striking feature is his eyepatch that covered his left eye while the other eye was slightly obscured by the long bangs of his black, tied hair.

"I have come as we arranged, but it seems that you have visitors, princess Kisaragi." he said serenely.

"Ah, no they—they are leaving now, aren't you, guys?" said Yuffie, nodded towards the two men. She smiled slightly towards them. While Reno seemed oblivious, Vincent caught the drift immediately.

"Yes, we are. Let's go, Reno." said Vincent quickly.

Reno was about to retort, but Yuffie gave him a smile. Reno knew that smile was forced, and her eyes said something like 'please'. Resignedly, he followed Vincent outside into the outer courtyard after he bowed formally toward the visitor. Before he reached the door, he noticed a long sword-like object attached to the man's waist. He stared at it a few seconds before exiting.

After the door closed, the man spoke. "Shall we go?" he said calmly.

"Yes, let's go." Yuffie said uneasily. After that, both of them went upstairs.

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"Why the hell are you here, yo?" said Reno impatiently.

They were walking outside on the courtyard. The sky had darkened significantly and the oriental-styled lampposts have lit. However, there were still frogs croaking at the pond beside the illuminated path.

"I received a phone call two days ago telling me to meet up with Staniv. I went to the place and received a letter. From that letter, I was instructed to come here for a 'confidential' reason." he finished.

Reno shifted disbelievingly at his spot where he stood before he pulled out a pack of cigarette and smoked one of them.

"Well, I came here…" he puffed "…for a vacation. No, more like fleeing from work actually."

This time, it was Vincent's turn to raise his eyebrow; he could feel Reno is hiding something. Under the scrutinizing glance, Reno gave in.

"Alright, it _is_ my holiday, but see, Yuffie left me a message, yo." he puffed again. Vincent didn't respond, only the rustlings of his blood-red cape can be heard. "She said the usual stuff, you know, complaining about her new life here and stuff, but at the end of the message, she wants me to come, so I did." he finished his cigarette and threw it to a strategically obscure trash bin beside them.

"But why does she have to throw us outta here? I mean, what does she have to do with that guy?" said Reno. "It would be very unlike her not to tell her friends about something, right?"

"Hmm, I wonder? In any case, even if she told us, she might have something in store for us anyhow." Vincent replied, remembering a memorable incident in Wutai two years ago involving AVALANCHE, Yuffie, and stolen materias; something he always thought with both humor and chagrin.

"So, what are ya gonna do, vamp? Hang around?" Reno asked flatly.

"Unlike you, I have places to go, and things to do. So, I'll return there as soon as they allow me to." Vincent replied in the same, cold voice.

"Well, see you around."

And they strode in opposite directions. As soon as he reached his car, however, Reno pulled out another cigarette and smoked it deeply. He caught a glance of the compound one last time when he was beside his car. It now glinted with the lights from the windows that decorated the magnificent structure.

"'Hope I don't have to see you around…" Reno puffed his cigarette wearily.

"…asshole." he inhaled the smoke leisurely before throwing the cigarette butt on his car's ashtray. He started his car and drove to the center of Wutai, full of expectation for the young night.

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There was a dull _thud_ and a yelp of pain. Simultaneously, two bodies were strewn, writhing on the floor. Both of them tried to stand again but to no avail. Their assailant stood calmly, striding small, steady paces with his gentle movement.

"That was rather rude, princess Kisaragi, sending your ninjas to harm me." he said.

The addressed person stood wide-eyed, horrified by the show of force that just unfolded before her eyes. Her two most powerful guardians, defeated in a seemingly effortless manner. Her mind quickly tried to recap the situation, but all she remembered that her two guardians ambushed the man in front of her as soon as he entered the room. And, as soon as it began, it was over.

"Surely all those years that you've spent with those ragtag friends—or rather, eco-terrorists—didn't diminish your manner as a Kisaragi? Or are you implying that this is the new way to greet visitors?" he added, eyeing Yuffie with a calm, yet hungry look.

Yuffie narrowed down her eyes defiantly towards the man in front of her. For her, it's better to stand proud and defiant rather to cower in fear; her Wutaian blood had shaped her this way.

"What do you want from me?" she said slowly, defiantly.

"What I want…" he said calmly "…is something that both of us, and all of Wutai will agree with."

"Elaborate, will you?" Yuffie replied firmly.

"Fine, I'll explain." he replied as he stopped striding about. He briefly cast a glance at the writhing men on the floor. Apparently, they were on the verge of passing out due to their injuries.

"I would like to propose a marriage to you" he said seriously.

Yuffie scoffed at the idea and said sharply, "Well, you know my answer. No, thank you." with a forced bow and smile.

"I don't think you understand. This is for the benefit of Wutai." he explained calmly.

"Yeah, right." Yuffie scoffed again

"You see," he began "…we're Wutaian, both of us. And that should make you understand. Our pride has been suffering for many years under Shinra's oppression. And now, now that we are free, we can rise again and reclaim what we have lost."

"But see, I was expecting that when we were freed from Shinra's occupation after Meteor, we would immediately take our chance to utterly destroy Shinra. But what happened? That—forgive me for my language—peace-loving, hypocritical, cowardly father of yours…"

"Don't insult my father!" Yuffie interjected furiously.

"…opted instead for a truce with our arch-enemy instead of reclaiming our glory." he continued. "I thought it was wise of him at first, creating a ploy of peace in order to strike when they least expect it. I even thought that accepting their aid in rebuilding was wise in order to strengthen ourselves before the war. But, after two years, I realized, the truce was intended to be a real peace; cooperative, mutualistic symbiosis between two lingering creatures. But you know, two tigers cannot live in the same mountain. You understand, don't you?"

"No I don't. What does your struggle have to do with marriage?" Yuffie retorted scathingly.

"Princess Kisaragi, with all due respect, please do consider that I am but a general in the Wutai military. As you well know, unnecessary bloodshed is highly undesirable…" to which Yuffie responded with a loud snort. "I can, in fact, overthrow your father with a simple coup d'etat, but that will take unnecessary manpower from within our ranks. It would be much simpler to persuade people that our cause is a mutual goal between the royal family and the military. If such, _ahem_, arrangements are to be made, persuasion will be a matter of simple propaganda. And our assault against Shinra will be viewed as a noble cause instead of a simple offensive measure." Seishirou finished with a calm smile that accompanied his otherwise maniacal glint in his eye.

"A nice propaganda, Mr. Ambitious General, but my father just won't agree with you." Yuffie spoke with full confidence. "You're lucky my father is not present at the moment. As soon as he gets here…"

However, a chilling snigger interrupted her in mid-sentence. When Yuffie looked at Seishirou's face, it's as if he had dealt his ace in a cruel game of poker.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I wouldn't expect him to appear any time soon if I were you." Seishirou said in the midst of his cold smile. "I always thought of him as something of a bothersome nuisance. Why, it is only by the courtesy of his, er, _absence_, that we are able to have a nice, private chat together." He finished while lightly kicking the side of one of the downed ninja on the floor.

It finally hit her forcefully in her head.

"What have you done to my father!" she shouted, full of rage.

Seishirou merely continued to snigger. He continued to stride about calmly in the room, looking hungrily towards Yuffie.

"Relax, princess, I have done…_nothing_ that will put your father in a state of harm. Of course, I need hardly to say that everything could change by what you decide." he finished with a light, sinister smile.

Yuffie's mind was flooded by scenarios after scenarios, each worsening after the other. She then pulled out a decision out of her confusion.

"You know what? I think you're _shitting _me."

It was a bad remark alright, since the speaker herself admitted; though she credited it partially to a foul-mouthed pilot who taught her the word. Nevertheless, it made her more confident, if not bolder.

However, the target was merely slightly amused, with his mouth showing the slightest of twitch. "Language, princess. With that kind of attitude, I wonder why so many people are willing to pass you as a princess?" he commented half-humorously.

"Actually, it was a bad decision. I wasn't bluffing and in this situation, it is better not to try your luck as you had done. Now, you could've severely endangered the very life of your father." he continued flatly.

Amidst the confusion in her mind, she remembered her own maxim, 'Attack now, think later!'

Defiantly, she said, "You know what? Why don't I make this easier and kill you here and now?" while simultaneously pulling her Oritsuru. She kept it with her at all times; the small size of the paper crane-shaped weapon made it easy to be carried everywhere.

"That would be another false decision, princess, considering I have downed two of your most powerful ally." Seishirou replied calmly while lightly cocking his head to the ninjas that passed out on the floor.

Now, Yuffie is getting desperate. Even her last measure was also a bluff to intimidate the loathsome man in front of her. Now that it didn't work, Yuffie had no choice. She had to make her move _now_; the situation is getting to a boiling point.

"I think I should remind you princess, that we always have other methods of persuasion," Seishirou said calmly. He then slowly raised his left hand to his eyepatch. He carefully slithered his fingers to form a grip around the covering object.

"Princess…" he told Yuffie, "…do your best not to scream."

He removed his eyepatch slowly, revealing a spherical object within. Yuffie looked intently to the sphere in apprehension. That is, before she felt an overwhelming feeling that rose through her chest.

She saw nothing except a cloud of darkness rising. Seishirou watched with amusement as he replaced his eyepatch. He addressed Yuffie once again, "I shall see you again as soon as you have made your mind, princess. Until then, good night."

The door then closed shut, leaving Yuffie and her two of her bodyguard, now passed out from their injuries.

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It was a burst of night wind that made Reno realize something.

"I need to get a new windshield…" Reno murmured wryly.

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_Okay, okay. This update is soooooo late, but this is the real deal now. I'm gonna keep y'all posted. Sorry for the grammar errors again, but I promise I'll improve. Thanks to those that reviewed for me. They made me want o write more. And this is partly bcuz refused to allow me upload for the past 2 days. Anyways, 4th chappie underway ladies and gentleman.  
_


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